- 10 hours ago
Discovering That My Stepbrother Has A Crush On Me
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Short filmTranscript
00:00:00The moment my best friend learned the truth about my immortality and my enormous fortune,
00:00:05she hired a practitioner of dark sorcery and set a trap to have me killed and sent straight to the
00:00:09underworld.
00:00:10All so she could take my life essence for herself.
00:00:13On the rooftop of a Manhattan skyscraper, I sobbed so hard I could barely breathe.
00:00:18Please don't kill me! I'll give you everything!
00:00:22The trust fund! All of it! Every dollar!
00:00:27I was terrified of dying.
00:00:30Truly, utterly terrified.
00:00:32Because my ex-husband, the one who ruled the underworld,
00:00:36had sworn the day I left him that if he ever saw me again,
00:00:39he would throw me into the lake of fire, peel my skin, tear me apart piece by piece.
00:00:44Vanessa! We've known each other for ten years!
00:00:47I've always been good to you! Please, just let me go!
00:00:55I'll transfer everything to you! Please!
00:00:58I dropped to my knees on the rough concrete of the rooftop.
00:01:01My dignity shattered, nearly smashing my forehead against the ground as I begged.
00:01:06Vanessa let out a cold laugh.
00:01:09The pointed tip of her designer heel tilted my chin up.
00:01:12I don't just want your money.
00:01:14She said,
00:01:15I want your endless life.
00:01:18Aren't we best friends?
00:01:20What's yours is mine.
00:01:22If you really care about me, then give it all to me.
00:01:25She shot a look at the black-robed sorcerer beside her.
00:01:30He understood immediately.
00:01:33Grabbing a fistful of my hair, he dragged me toward the edge.
00:01:37Thirty-three stories below, a demonic-packed circle had already been drawn in blood.
00:01:42If I fell and died, everything would go exactly as they planned.
00:01:46I would not even have the chance at reincarnation.
00:01:50Vanessa had made sure of that.
00:01:52No revenge.
00:01:54No lingering spirit.
00:01:56She intended to erase me completely.
00:02:00The freezing New York wind slammed into my face as I struggled, clawing backward.
00:02:04But her greed had already spiraled out of control the moment she learned my secret.
00:02:09She rushed forward and, together with the sorcerer, kicked me over the edge.
00:02:15As I fell, the rushing air drowned out everything.
00:02:18My senses blurred into nothing.
00:02:21Then came the impact.
00:02:23A deafening crash exploded in my ears as my body hit the ground,
00:02:27reduced to a mangled ruin of flesh and blood.
00:02:30When I regained awareness, I was no longer alive.
00:02:34I was in spirit form, standing in the underworld.
00:02:37Two infernal guards stood beside me, each gripping a thumb-thick soul shackle.
00:02:42The other end was locked tightly around my neck.
00:02:46A heavy fog surrounded us, but the distant wails and screams were painfully clear.
00:02:51I had been here before.
00:02:53This was the entrance to the gates of hell, and I had my damned ex-husband to thank for that.
00:03:00Back when I tried to leave him, he had dragged me here himself.
00:03:04Eyes burning red, just to scare me.
00:03:07He never actually threw me in.
00:03:10But now, I was about to be erased for good.
00:03:13I was murdered!
00:03:15I cried, struggling not to be dragged forward.
00:03:18I didn't do anything wrong!
00:03:20One of the guards, a man with a thin mustache, pulled a barbed whip from his belt and lashed
00:03:25me without hesitation.
00:03:27The pain tore straight through my soul.
00:03:29I collapsed instantly, unable even to scream.
00:03:33Listen.
00:03:33He said coldly.
00:03:34I don't care where you're from.
00:03:37Once you're in our hands, you're done.
00:03:39If it was a choice between immediate damnation and taking a gamble, I would take the gamble.
00:03:44What if Lucian still remembered me?
00:03:47What if there was even the slightest chance?
00:03:50He'd show mercy?
00:03:52Anything was better than soul obliteration.
00:03:55My voice trembled as I forced the words out.
00:03:58I know you're Lord of the Undergaled.
00:04:00I know Lucian.
00:04:01I want to see him.
00:04:04The two guards exchanged a glance.
00:04:06Then the whip came down again.
00:04:09This time, I felt something inside me crack.
00:04:12A fracture ran through my very soul, and I couldn't speak another word.
00:04:17The mustached guard spat at me.
00:04:21You think you get to say His Majesty the Underlord's name just like that?
00:04:25I don't care how you learned it.
00:04:28Keep your head down unless you want more pain.
00:04:30Powerless, I was dragged forward like a dead animal.
00:04:35The other guard, who had been watching quietly, looked uneasy.
00:04:39What if she's telling the truth?
00:04:41What if something goes wrong?
00:04:43The mustached guard scoffed.
00:04:47What's there to be afraid of?
00:04:48That sorceress said she's no saint.
00:04:50There's no record of her in the Ledger of Souls.
00:04:52Picked up a few tricks of dark sorcery, that's all.
00:04:54Of course she'd know His Majesty's name.
00:04:56You're too soft.
00:04:58If the higher-ups can't find her, then it's not our problem.
00:05:01We're getting paid.
00:05:02Let's move.
00:05:03No point dragging this out.
00:05:05At that point, I understood everything.
00:05:09They had been bought off by Vanessa and that sorcerer.
00:05:12Guards of Hell, taking bribes to do something like this.
00:05:16When I saw the towering gates of Hell ahead, carved with grotesque demonic figures, a deep,
00:05:22uncontrollable terror shook my soul.
00:05:24The guards cast a spell, and the massive gates began to open slowly.
00:05:28My heart sank into despair.
00:05:31Then suddenly, a voice rang out from behind us, drawing closer.
00:05:36New arrival?
00:05:38Has she gone through the judgment process yet?
00:05:41My heart lurched.
00:05:42I recognized that voice.
00:05:45Cole, a high-ranking reaper.
00:05:47And he knew who I was.
00:05:50I stared at the tall figure emerging from the mist, my heart pounding as I forced out his name.
00:05:56Cole?
00:05:56The moment I spoke, a hand clamped over my mouth.
00:06:00One of the guards dragged me behind a massive rock, silencing me before I could say another word.
00:06:06Through the haze, I watched as Cole was stopped by the moustached guard.
00:06:11Panic surged through me.
00:06:13I struggled wildly, only to be struck hard in the lower back.
00:06:17The blow knocking the air out of me.
00:06:19The moustached guard quickly pulled out a pack of Marlboros, his face breaking into a
00:06:24sycophantic grin.
00:06:25Lord Cole, what brings you here today?
00:06:28Got something good from the human world.
00:06:30Strong stuff.
00:06:31Wanna try one?
00:06:32Cole brushed dust off his black coat.
00:06:35Clearly irritated.
00:06:36Cut it out.
00:06:37I asked you a question.
00:06:39Has that wandering spirit gone through the judgment process?
00:06:42The guard swallowed, his confidence faltering.
00:06:45Y-yeah, of course.
00:06:47We wouldn't dare skip procedure.
00:06:50Y-you and Selena have been swapped lately, right?
00:06:53Go ahead, take a break.
00:06:54Cole accepted the cigarette and lit it, saying nothing more.
00:06:59The fog was too thick for him to see me clearly.
00:07:02Desperation took over.
00:07:04I bit down hard on the hand covering my mouth.
00:07:07The guard yelped and let go.
00:07:09I bolted toward Cole, but before I could take more than a step, a heavy kick sent me crashing
00:07:15to the ground.
00:07:16A boot slammed onto my face, grinding me into the volcanic ash.
00:07:21It filled my mouth and throat.
00:07:23I couldn't spit it out.
00:07:25I couldn't make a sound.
00:07:27Thankfully, the commotion caught Cole's attention.
00:07:30He stepped closer.
00:07:33What's going on over there?
00:07:35The guard I had bitten pressed his foot down harder in retaliation, as if trying to crush
00:07:40my skull.
00:07:45Nothing serious, just a restless spirit.
00:07:48Still struggling even after getting this far.
00:07:51You know the type.
00:07:52None of them are innocent.
00:07:54No need to dirty your hands.
00:07:57Cole paused, then stopped approaching.
00:08:01Be careful.
00:08:03Every one of them was a criminal in life.
00:08:05No mistakes.
00:08:07Send her in.
00:08:08With that, he turned and disappeared back into the mist.
00:08:12And just like that, whatever hope I had left died with him.
00:08:16The mustached guard bowed and scraped until Cole was gone.
00:08:20The moment he turned back, his expression twisted with anger.
00:08:23He rushed over and kicked me several times.
00:08:26Then raised his whip and lashed out again and again, venting his fury.
00:08:31It didn't take long before my soul was covered in wounds, barely holding together, unrecognizable.
00:08:37Finally, he grabbed my chin and forced my face up.
00:08:51I was thrown into the first circle of hell like a piece of trash.
00:08:55This level was reserved for the thousand-spike torment.
00:08:59Everywhere I looked, there were iron maidens and racks of torment.
00:09:03Souls were.
00:09:04Bound to them, each body pierced by thousands of steel noodles like grotesque.
00:09:09Human pin cushions.
00:09:11Here, souls were not allowed the mercy of destruction.
00:09:14Which meant the screaming never stopped.
00:09:16A chill ran through me as I forced out the last of my strength, my voice shaking.
00:09:22I really do know, Lucian.
00:09:25If you treat me like this, and he finds out, he won't you get away with it?
00:09:31It was mostly a bluff.
00:09:33Lucian would not care whether I lived or died.
00:09:35If anything, he probably never wanted to see me again.
00:09:39Otherwise, he would not have given me ageless immortality.
00:09:43Leaving me alone in the human world, unable to age, unable to die.
00:09:51He was making sure I would never come back here and bother him.
00:09:55Once I crossed this threshold, the guards no longer saw me as a threat.
00:09:59The mustached guard patted my face mockingly.
00:10:02His grin cruel.
00:10:04What's wrong with you?
00:10:05Watch too many Hollywood dramas?
00:10:07You think someone like you gets to even think about His Majesty, the Underlord?
00:10:11My head was knocked to the side.
00:10:14A wave of nausea hit me, and I coughed up a mouthful of black mist.
00:10:19My soul felt thinner, more transparent.
00:10:22They strapped me onto a rack of torment.
00:10:25The mustached guard grinned as he picked up a soul-piercing spike.
00:10:29Each one as long as my forearm.
00:10:31Hang in there.
00:10:32There are 17 more levels waiting for you.
00:10:35We've got plenty of time.
00:10:37He raised one of the spikes and drove it straight toward my thigh.
00:10:40No matter how tough you think you are, everyone breaks down here.
00:10:44The tip pierced half an inch into me.
00:10:47The pain tore through my soul like it was being ripped apart.
00:10:51My entire body shook uncontrollably.
00:10:56A voice cut through the air.
00:10:59The spike was yanked back out.
00:11:02I gasped, forcing my eyes open to see who had arrived.
00:11:06It was Harris, the Warden of the Pit for this level.
00:11:10I remembered him.
00:11:12Back when Lucian had dragged me to the gates of hell to scare me,
00:11:16Harris had been there, trying to calm him down.
00:11:19Your Majesty, the Underlord, the Concert Queen is just being impulsive.
00:11:23There's no need to be so angry.
00:11:24You might hurt her.
00:11:25Hope flared inside me again.
00:11:27After all these years, maybe he still remembered.
00:11:31Harris?
00:11:32Harris?
00:11:32Warden Harris?
00:11:34It's me?
00:11:36Please, help me?
00:11:43After everything I had endured, I was completely drained.
00:11:47My throat felt raw, like it had been scraped against sandpaper.
00:11:51But I knew Harris had heard me.
00:11:53He stared straight at me, studying my face as if trying to place it.
00:11:57Then I saw it, the sudden contraction of his pupils, the flicker of shock and fear.
00:12:04He recognized me.
00:12:06Relief barely had time to surface before he looked away, avoiding my gaze.
00:12:10As if nothing had happened, he turned to the guards.
00:12:14We just received word from above.
00:12:15They want to witness this woman's sole absturation in person.
00:12:19They're almost here.
00:12:20Hold off for now.
00:12:21I froze, disbelief flooding through me.
00:12:24Harris was in on it too.
00:12:25He had recognized me and still chose to do nothing.
00:12:29The last bit of hope I had left was extinguished.
00:12:32A bitter laugh slipped out of me.
00:12:35Lucien.
00:12:36So this is your underworld.
00:12:38Your domain.
00:12:39Where your subordinates take.
00:12:41Bribes?
00:12:42Bend the rules, and do whatever they want without consequence.
00:12:45And Vanessa.
00:12:47I had underestimated her.
00:12:49I could not decide if she was bold or cowardly.
00:12:52Bold enough to come all the way here.
00:12:54Cowardly enough that she needed to see me destroyed with her own eyes.
00:12:58Just to feel safe enjoying my endless life and my money.
00:13:01Soon, the mist ahead began to clear.
00:13:04Vanessa and the sorcerer arrived.
00:13:07They had used astral projection through dark sorcery.
00:13:10Their souls temporarily separated from their bodies.
00:13:16At first, Vanessa looked uneasy.
00:13:19The instruments of torture.
00:13:21The endless screams.
00:13:22All of it made her cling tightly to the sorcerer, afraid to stray even a step.
00:13:26But when she saw how familiar he was with the guards and even Harris, exchanging knowing glances, her confidence returned.
00:13:33After all, she was the one paying.
00:13:36She walked toward me with arrogant ease.
00:13:38Took a red hot spike from one of the guards.
00:13:41Her face twisted with excitement.
00:13:43Serafana, I should thank you.
00:13:45Without you, I never would have experienced what it's like to live among the elite in the Upper East Side.
00:13:53Turns out money really can make anything happen.
00:13:55With enough of it, I can even walk through hell itself.
00:13:58And now I get to watch you, the untouchable heiress.
00:14:04Nailed down like a dog.
00:14:05You've lived long enough.
00:14:07I'll take it from here.
00:14:08Go quietly.
00:14:09That's the only way I can feel at ease.
00:14:11I looked at her, numb, forcing myself to endure the pain.
00:14:15Wasn't I good to you?
00:14:16Even as I said it, I knew how pointless the question was.
00:14:19If she had any conscience at all, none of this would be happening.
00:14:24Vanessa burst into laughter, almost hysterical.
00:14:27You think you were good to me?
00:14:29I worked as your assistant.
00:14:31Wore your outdated designer hand-me-downs.
00:14:35Stood next to you at parties like a prop.
00:14:39Even the way men looked at me.
00:14:42Like I was just an extension of you.
00:14:44And you call that being good to me?
00:14:47I said nothing.
00:14:48There was no arguing with someone like her.
00:14:55When I first met her, Chicago was in the middle of a brutal snowstorm.
00:14:59She had been standing there in a thin, worn-out jacket, shivering, on the verge of freezing.
00:15:06She had come from some remote town, couldn't afford rent, couldn't find a job, and was about to end up
00:15:12on the streets.
00:15:13I took her in.
00:15:15I never needed a personal assistant.
00:15:17I had long been used to being alone.
00:15:19I gave her the job out of sympathy.
00:15:22I treated her like a friend.
00:15:24Anything she wanted, as long as it wasn't unreasonable.
00:15:27I gave it to her.
00:15:29Her salary was higher than most senior professionals on Wall Street.
00:15:33Over time, she stopped seeing herself as an employee.
00:15:37She took more and more.
00:15:39She wore my limited edition gowns without asking.
00:15:42Used my black card.
00:15:44I had been too lenient.
00:15:46She started to believe we were equals.
00:15:49Worse.
00:15:49That she could replace me.
00:15:51My real mistake was trusting her.
00:15:54One night, drunk, I told her my secret.
00:15:57My ageless immortality.
00:15:59My silence now only fueled her madness.
00:16:04She leaned in close, her eyes filled with venom.
00:16:07Nothing to say now, right?
00:16:09You agree with me, don't you?
00:16:11You never saw me as a friend.
00:16:13You were just handing out charity.
00:16:16Go to hell!
00:16:17She raised the spike and drove it down toward my heart.
00:16:20A wet, sickening sound echoed.
00:16:23She did not hold back.
00:16:28Harris and the guards exchanged uneasy looks.
00:16:31Destroying a soul core outright would cause serious disturbance.
00:16:35But none of them stopped her.
00:16:37They simply watched.
00:16:39Black mist poured from my mouth.
00:16:42My soul essence was leaking away.
00:16:44My body turned increasingly transparent.
00:16:47My thoughts grew.
00:16:49Sluggish.
00:16:50My vision blurred.
00:16:54Vanessa kept screaming, completely unhinged, stabbing spike after spike into me.
00:17:00My face was shredded, every wound leaking dark smoke.
00:17:03And then, through the thick haze, I saw him.
00:17:08Lucien.
00:17:08Walking toward me.
00:17:10He looked exactly the same.
00:17:12More striking than any Hollywood star I had seen in centuries.
00:17:16Time had left no mark in him.
00:17:18His black velvet robe was embroidered, with dark gold patterns.
00:17:22A symbol of absolute power.
00:17:25His long dark hair flowed like a cascade.
00:17:28His features were sharp, flawless.
00:17:31His gaze carried a terrifying weight that made people want to fall to their knees.
00:17:35The kind of man you could not look away from.
00:17:38The kind of man you feared.
00:17:40Was this a hallucination?
00:17:42It had to be.
00:17:44A dying illusion.
00:17:45He would never want to.
00:17:47See me again.
00:17:49And yet, why had everything suddenly gone silent?
00:17:52The guards, Harris, even the arrogant sorcerer.
00:17:56All of them were trembling.
00:17:58And kneeling.
00:18:02Your majesty, the underlord.
00:18:05What brings you here in person?
00:18:06Harris was shaking uncontrollably, kneeling ramrod straight as cold sweat dripped.
00:18:11From his forehead onto the black stone beneath him, taking bribes from the living was already a grave offense.
00:18:18Allowing living souls to enter hell, and even carrying out unauthorized punishment, made it far worse.
00:18:25And now he had been caught red-handed by the ruler of the underworld himself.
00:18:29There would be no good ending to this.
00:18:32The sorcerer's face drained of color.
00:18:35He quickly yanked Vanessa away from me.
00:18:38Stopping her frenzied stabbing, and forced her down to her knees beside him, pressing, her head low.
00:18:44Lucian's gaze swept across everyone present.
00:18:48Cold.
00:18:49Cutting.
00:18:50Absolute.
00:18:51The air itself seemed to freeze under the weight of it.
00:18:55Behind him, the high chamberlain, Sebastian, stepped forward and barked.
00:19:00His voice, thunderous.
00:19:04If his majesty had not come today, who knows how far your in arrogance would have gone.
00:19:11Have you all forgotten the laws of hell?
00:19:16The two guards who had dragged me here lowered their heads as far as possible, as if.
00:19:21They wished they could disappear into the ground.
00:19:24I wanted to speak, but my mind was slipping.
00:19:28The wounds in my chest and face tore at me with unbearable pain.
00:19:33All I could manage were shallow, broken breaths.
00:19:37Would he recognize me?
00:19:39And if he did, what then?
00:19:41Would he pull me out of this nightmare?
00:19:44Or would he do exactly what he once promised?
00:19:47Throw me into the lake of fire.
00:19:50Tear me apart and watch me suffer.
00:19:53At this point, it hardly mattered.
00:19:55I was already close to soul obliteration.
00:19:59My vision of him was starting to blur, splitting into overlapping shadows.
00:20:04After a long silence, Lucien finally spoke.
00:20:08His voice was calm, slow, and colder than ancient ice.
00:20:12Harris, I entrusted the first circle of hell to you.
00:20:18This is how you carry out your duty?
00:20:21Allowing a living soul to enter my domain and administering private punishment on my ground?
00:20:27Harris slammed his forehead against the floor over and over, even harder than I had, when begging Vanessa earlier.
00:20:40I was wrong.
00:20:41I know I was wrong.
00:20:43It was those two guards.
00:20:45Greed got the better of them.
00:20:46They brought the living in.
00:20:48I had no idea.
00:20:50Before your majesty arrived, I was just about to drive them out.
00:20:53The two guards immediately snapped.
00:20:55Even in front of Lucien, they could not hold back.
00:20:58This is your territory.
00:21:00If a living person got in, that's your failure.
00:21:04The mustached guard shot back.
00:21:06You took the bigger share of the money.
00:21:08How dare you turn on us now?
00:21:10Harris's face twisted with fury.
00:21:14You were the ones who came up with this scheme.
00:21:16You dragged me into it.
00:21:19Your majesty, please see the truth.
00:21:21I finally understood.
00:21:23Lucien was not here to save me.
00:21:26He had sensed something wrong with the barrier.
00:21:28Realized his subordinates were.
00:21:30Breaking the rules.
00:21:31And came to deal with it.
00:21:33I just happened to be here.
00:21:35An extra piece in someone else's disaster.
00:21:39At this point, I felt almost invisible.
00:21:42The sorcerer and Vanessa were at the center of the storm.
00:21:45As the three of them turned on each other.
00:21:48Blaming and accusing Lucien let out a quiet scoff.
00:21:52The sound struck like a hammer against every soul present.
00:21:57Enough.
00:21:58His voice carried finality.
00:22:01Since they are here, those two living souls will not be returning.
00:22:06Strip them of bodily perception.
00:22:09Detain them for judgment.
00:22:10He paused.
00:22:11Then cast a cold glance at Harris and the two guards.
00:22:14As for you.
00:22:16You knew the law and broke it.
00:22:18You will be cast into the abyss of demons.
00:22:22You will become hellhounds for all eternity.
00:22:25Burned by hellfire.
00:22:27Never to rise again.
00:22:28Harris went completely still.
00:22:31Still kneeling.
00:22:32He collapsed backward.
00:22:34His face drained of all color.
00:22:36Too stunned even.
00:22:37To beg.
00:22:38The two guards looked no different.
00:22:41Pure despair.
00:23:10Vanessa.
00:23:12He shook him down with her.
00:23:13Grabbed at her leg and hissed under his breath.
00:23:17Are you insane?
00:23:18Get down on your knees.
00:23:19She shook him off violently and pointed straight at Lucien.
00:23:23I'm leaving now.
00:23:25Send me back.
00:23:26If you don't, you'll regret it.
00:23:28The sorcerer shut his eyes.
00:23:30He did not dare move.
00:23:32Vanessa grabbed him by the collar and shook him.
00:23:35Her face twisted with rage.
00:23:37What are you doing?
00:23:38I paid you a million dollars.
00:23:40Do your job.
00:23:41I said I'm going back now.
00:23:43She had no idea.
00:23:46Lucien despised noise.
00:23:47And he had no tolerance for mortals who overstepped in his presence.
00:23:51The next second, he simply lifted a finger.
00:23:55Vanessa's soul was struck as if by an invisible hammer.
00:23:59Her body flew backward like a severed kite.
00:24:02As if fate itself were mocking her, she landed hard on a metal table covered with.
00:24:08Instruments of torture.
00:24:09More than a dozen red-hot soul-piercing spikes drove straight to her back.
00:24:14Her scream tore through the entire first circle of hell.
00:24:17Now she understood.
00:24:19The pain.
00:24:20The horror.
00:24:21Her face twisted beyond recognition as she shrieked.
00:24:25Silence her.
00:24:26Sebastian raised a hand, his voice cold.
00:24:30Several high-ranking guards stepped forward immediately, forcing her down, covering her mouth as the spikes burned through her.
00:24:38When it was over, silence returned.
00:24:41Heavy.
00:24:42Absolute.
00:24:43Only then did Lucien slowly turn his head.
00:24:47And look at me.
00:24:48I could feel it.
00:24:49His gaze.
00:24:51His gaze.
00:24:52Cold.
00:24:52Cold.
00:24:53Distant.
00:24:53Like he was looking at something worthless.
00:24:56Like I was nothing more than trash.
00:25:00Sebastian read the shift in Lucien's expression immediately and stepped forward, his tone sharp and authoritative.
00:25:06Who are you?
00:25:08Who are you?
00:25:08State your name.
00:25:09Why were you brought here without going through the judgment process?
00:25:12Even after being sentenced, Harris clearly was not ready to give up.
00:25:17He was still trying to salvage something, anything.
00:25:21If it came out that I had been smuggled and through bribery, bypassing the proper process, his fate would only
00:25:27get worse.
00:25:28And if Lucien actually recognized me, he spoke first, rushing to cover it up.
00:25:34Your majesty, she's just a newly dead wandering spirit.
00:25:38No idea how she slipped in.
00:25:39Anyone who ends up here isn't innocent.
00:25:41She even tried to attack the guards just now.
00:25:43There's no need for you to concern yourself.
00:25:45I'll dispose of her immediately.
00:25:46Lucien's brow furrowed slightly, displeasure flashing across his face.
00:25:50His gaze cut toward Harris like a blade.
00:25:53Before he could say anything, Sebastian stepped in and kicked Harris to the ground.
00:25:58You were not addressed.
00:25:59Keep your mouth shut.
00:26:01One more word, and you go to the abyss now.
00:26:04I tried to speak, tried to call out, but my throat only produced a hollow, rasping hiss.
00:26:12Black wisps of soul energy kept spilling from my mouth.
00:26:16When no clear answer came, Sebastian approached me himself.
00:26:20He examined my condition with visible disgust, then turned back to Lucien and shook his head.
00:26:28Your majesty, her soul is severely damaged.
00:26:31It's on the verge of collapse.
00:26:33I'm afraid we won't get much out of her.
00:26:35Lucien had always been a ruler of order and strict law.
00:26:38He did not tolerate any disruption to the rules of the underworld.
00:26:42Verify her identity.
00:26:43If she does not belong here, stabilize her soul if possible.
00:26:46Then determine whether she should be returned to the living world or sent into the cycle of rebirth.
00:26:54Sebastian bowed.
00:26:55He immediately ordered someone to bring the ledger of souls.
00:26:59While they waited, Vanessa was still struggling on the ground, twisting and thrashing, trying to pull the spikes out of
00:27:06her body.
00:27:06She still did not understand what kind of existence she had just provoked.
00:27:11All she could think about was getting back to the living world.
00:27:14Back to my luxury penthouse.
00:27:17Back to spending my money, living the life she had always envied.
00:27:21Soon, a clerk hurried over, carrying a massive, faintly glowing ledger of souls.
00:27:27Sebastian took it and stepped closer to me again, looking down from above.
00:27:32Your name.
00:27:33I gathered what little strength I had left.
00:27:35From deep in my throat, I forced out a single word.
00:27:39Barely more than a whisper.
00:27:41Seraphina.
00:27:44Sebastian did not recognize me.
00:27:46He must have taken this position sometime in the last few centuries.
00:27:50He began flipping through the ledger, his fingers moving quickly as he searched the records of the corresponding years.
00:27:58Seconds passed.
00:27:59Then minutes.
00:28:00His movements slowed.
00:28:03Something was wrong.
00:28:04A thin sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead.
00:28:07That's not possible.
00:28:09How could this be?
00:28:14Lucian's patient snapped.
00:28:15He was not known for tolerance, and even less for restraint.
00:28:19The temperature around him seemed to drop instantly.
00:28:22A dark, violent aura surfaced beneath his composed exterior.
00:28:26What is the delay?
00:28:27How long does it take to check a name?
00:28:33Sebastian dropped to his knees with a thud, raising the ledger above his head with trembling hands.
00:28:38Your majesty.
00:28:39Please forgive me.
00:28:40I have checked every record.
00:28:42This woman.
00:28:43Her name does not exist in the ledger of souls.
00:28:47A bitter smile flickered inside me.
00:28:50Of course it didn't.
00:28:51That had been Lucian's doing.
00:28:53His punishment.
00:28:55To erase my name.
00:28:56To leave me wandering the human world, unable to die.
00:29:00Unable to enter reincarnation.
00:29:03He in hell.
00:29:04Me in the mortal world.
00:29:07Forever separated.
00:29:08Never crossing paths again.
00:29:11Lucian, however, did not make the connection.
00:29:15Too much time had passed.
00:29:17His first instinct was that someone had tampered with the ledger, daring to challenge his authority.
00:29:24Fury surged.
00:29:25Black energy roiled around him as he snatched the ledger from Sebastian, flipping through it himself.
00:29:33What is her name?
00:29:36Sebastian's voice trembled.
00:29:38She calls herself...
00:29:39Serafina.
00:29:42The moment the name left his lips, Lucian's hand froze.
00:29:46His pupils contracted sharply.
00:29:49For the first time, something cracked through that cold, untouchable composure.
00:29:55Shock.
00:29:56Disbelief.
00:29:57Something deeper.
00:29:59His gaze snapped up from the ledger and locked onto me.
00:30:02Pinned to the rack of torment.
00:30:04Broken.
00:30:06Barely holding together.
00:30:10In the blink of an eye, black mist surged.
00:30:14He appeared in front of me like a phantom.
00:30:17Bringing with him a suffocating chill.
00:30:20His long, cold fingers shot out and gripped my chin, forcing my head up.
00:30:26His brows were drawn tight.
00:30:28His gaze sharp as a hawk's, as if he were trying to see through the ruin of my face and
00:30:32uncover who I really was.
00:30:34But there was nothing left to recognize.
00:30:37Vanessa had carved my face into a mess of crisscrossing wounds with those.
00:30:43Soul-piercing spikes.
00:30:45Black mist seeped from every cut.
00:30:47Whatever beauty I once have was gone without a trace.
00:30:51He stared at me for a long time.
00:30:53Something unreadable flickered in his expression, as if he was struggling to confirm what he was seeing.
00:30:59Is it really you?
00:31:00His voice was low, restrained.
00:31:03The pain made it impossible to breathe.
00:31:06I could only give the faintest nod.
00:31:09The moment he got his answer, his grip tightened.
00:31:12I felt my jaw creak under the pressure.
00:31:15His eyes darkened instantly.
00:31:17Did you forget what I told you when I let you go?
00:31:20A storm gathering beneath them.
00:31:22Of course I had not forgotten.
00:31:24Those words were carved into my soul.
00:31:27The day he released me, he had stood before the gates of hell, looking down at me with cold indifference,
00:31:34warning that if he ever saw me again, he would throw me into the lake of fire and personally tear
00:31:39me apart, leaving me to suffer for eternity.
00:31:42I had no strength left to argue.
00:31:45I could only curl my lips into a faint, broken smile, one that looked more like a grimace than anything
00:31:51else.
00:31:59This shattered soul of mine would not last long enough for him to carry out that threat anyway.
00:32:04At any moment, I would disappear.
00:32:06Suddenly, he let go of me.
00:32:08With a look of disgust, he took out a black silk handkerchief and wiped his fingers, his voice cold and
00:32:14cutting.
00:32:15Pathetic.
00:32:15You insisted on leaving me.
00:32:17I thought you would make quite a life for yourself in the human world, and this is what you've become.
00:32:22What a disgrace.
00:32:23He sounded almost satisfied.
00:32:26Seeing me like this must have fed his pride.
00:32:28When I left, I had walked away without looking back, proud and unyielding.
00:32:34Now, nothing had changed for him.
00:32:36He was still the lord of the underworld, standing above everything.
00:32:41And me?
00:32:43I was nothing more than a broken soul, betrayed by my own assistant, nailed to a torture rack, on the
00:32:49verge of being erased.
00:32:51He did not let me disappear.
00:32:55Instead, he turned sharply to Sebastian.
00:32:58Take her away.
00:32:58Find the best physician in the nether realm.
00:33:00Do whatever it takes to stabilize her soul.
00:33:02Without my permission, she is not to die.
00:33:04So he wanted to keep me alive.
00:33:06Of course, Lucien had always been vindictive.
00:33:10Petty, even.
00:33:11Being abandoned by a woman was not something he would ever let go.
00:33:15If he was going to settle this, he would do it personally.
00:33:19The treatment was worse than torture.
00:33:22Every drop of medicine poured onto my wounds felt like my soul was being torn apart and stitched back together
00:33:27again.
00:33:28I did not know if I had lost consciousness or if I was simply drifting in and out under the
00:33:33weight of the pain.
00:33:33That was when I realized something.
00:33:36Even a soul could dream.
00:33:38And the dreams felt terrifyingly real.
00:33:43I saw everything.
00:33:45From the moment I met Lucien, to the time we fell in love, to the day we tore each other
00:33:50apart.
00:33:51Back then, he had found the underworld unbearably dull and decided to wander the human world.
00:33:57On a freezing winter night, during the Great Depression in New York, he found me.
00:34:02I had been young, starving, on the verge of death.
00:34:06In those days, the economy had collapsed.
00:34:10People died on the streets every day.
00:34:13Lives meant nothing.
00:34:15And yet, somehow, I caught his attention.
00:34:18Lucky.
00:34:19Or perhaps terribly unlucky.
00:34:21He hid his identity, becoming a wealthy gentleman.
00:34:26He stayed by my side as I grew up, giving me everything.
00:34:30My first love was him.
00:34:32My first time was him.
00:34:34He became my entire world.
00:34:36He kept his secret flawlessly hidden.
00:34:39It was not until I fell ill and died that I learned the truth.
00:34:43When my soul was brought to the underworld, I saw him sitting on his throne.
00:34:47That was when I realized who he really was.
00:34:50At the time, he believed he had given me a great gift.
00:34:54A short but happy life in the human world, spent under his protection.
00:34:58We had been husband and wife.
00:35:00So naturally, in his mind, I should remain in the underworld, by his side forever.
00:35:07His obedient consort queen.
00:35:11At first, I thought the same.
00:35:14Love blinded me.
00:35:16But I was not made for that world.
00:35:18I was a modern woman.
00:35:20I wanted freedom.
00:35:22The rigid, ancient, suffocating rules of the underworld became unbearable.
00:35:27I could not accept that as the lord of the underworld, he had countless dark consorts, each more alluring than
00:35:33the last.
00:35:34I could not accept the way he stood at the top of power, issuing commands as if it were second
00:35:40nature, treating me not as an equal, but as something beautiful he owned.
00:35:44So I chose to leave.
00:35:46I wanted a new life.
00:35:48I wanted to drink the waters of oblivion and return to the human world, free.
00:35:53When he found out, he lost control.
00:35:56His eyes turned red with rage.
00:35:59He dragged me to the gates of hell, pointing at the boiling depths below, trying to force me to stay.
00:36:04I had been terrified.
00:36:07Crying uncontrollably.
00:36:09Shaking.
00:36:10Afraid he might actually throw me in.
00:36:12We stood there for a long time.
00:36:14In the end, he let go.
00:36:17Reluctantly.
00:36:18Coldly.
00:36:19He allowed me to leave, but not without a warning.
00:36:23If he ever saw me again, he would not show mercy.
00:36:26At the time, I did not understand what he really meant.
00:36:30All I wanted was freedom.
00:36:33Rebirth.
00:36:36Only after I returned to the human world did I realize the truth.
00:36:41His punishment.
00:36:42He let me keep all my memories.
00:36:46He made it so I would never age.
00:36:49Never die.
00:36:50A living anomaly.
00:36:53He even arranged for me to be born into a powerful family, leaving.
00:36:57Behind a trust fund and immense wealth that could sustain me for centuries.
00:37:03That was when I understood.
00:37:05He never intended to see me again.
00:37:08Not just in anger.
00:37:09He had cut off my path entirely.
00:37:12No death.
00:37:14No return.
00:37:15No chance of ever entering the cycle.
00:37:18Of rebirth.
00:37:19I took it seriously.
00:37:21I lived carefully.
00:37:23Quietly.
00:37:24Watching everyone around me grow old and die.
00:37:27While I stayed the same.
00:37:30I was afraid of death.
00:37:33Afraid of accidents.
00:37:35Afraid of being dragged back here.
00:37:37Afraid he would make good on his promise.
00:37:41And yet, despite all that caution, I still fell.
00:37:45To the person I trusted most.
00:37:48The memories faded like.
00:37:50A passing storm.
00:37:53A sharp pain pierced my head as I slowly came back to consciousness.
00:37:58The surroundings were familiar.
00:38:00Luxurious.
00:38:02Dark.
00:38:03This was the Obsidian Palace.
00:38:05Lucian's private domain.
00:38:11The bed beneath me was wide, soft, black.
00:38:16It carried his scent.
00:38:18Deep.
00:38:18Cold.
00:38:20Lingering.
00:38:22Like cedarwood burning in a winter fireplace, mixed with the faint trace of ash.
00:38:28It was a scent I had never found on anyone else.
00:38:34Once, it had been comforting.
00:38:37Even now, wrapped in it.
00:38:39My tense soul relaxed for just a moment.
00:38:43But it did not last.
00:38:45As if he had been tracking me, the doors opened the instant I woke.
00:38:50Lucian walked in.
00:38:52I immediately shut my eyes.
00:38:54Pretending to still be unconscious.
00:38:56Trying to avoid facing him.
00:38:58It did not work.
00:39:01Stop pretending.
00:39:02Your soul's fluctuations are obvious.
00:39:04I know you're awake.
00:39:06I almost laughed.
00:39:08Back then, he could spend an entire night gazing at my face without getting tired.
00:39:13Now, he called me ugly without hesitation.
00:39:17Ugly.
00:39:18Wait.
00:39:19I lifted a hand and touched my face.
00:39:22Uneven.
00:39:23Rough.
00:39:24Completely ruined.
00:39:27Vanessa had not held back.
00:39:29Every strike had been meant to destroy.
00:39:32Maybe I really had become something hideous.
00:39:41I opened my eyes, dropping the act.
00:39:45I met his cold gaze and let out a faint, bitter laugh.
00:39:49So what now?
00:39:51You saved me just to throw me into the lake of fire yourself?
00:39:54Planning to tear me apart with your own hands?
00:39:57Not yet.
00:40:01Lucian stepped forward and yanked me off the bed without the slightest care.
00:40:07His grip was rough, almost punishing.
00:40:11What I granted you, and those worthless humans dared to covet it.
00:40:16They even used dark sorcery.
00:40:19You should witness for yourself what happens to those who anger the underworld.
00:40:24The darkness in his eyes made my spine go cold.
00:40:27So that was it.
00:40:29He was going to make an example of them in front of me first.
00:40:32And then deal with me.
00:40:34In the outer hall of the Obsidian Palace, the atmosphere was suffocating.
00:40:39Vanessa and the sorcerer were bound by heavy soul shackles locked around their bodies.
00:40:44Forced to kneel on the hard Obsidian floor.
00:40:46Nearby were Harris, pale as death, and the two guards who had dragged me in, trembling where they knelt.
00:40:53Everyone involved was here.
00:40:55No exceptions.
00:40:57The moment Vanessa saw me being led out by Lucian.
00:41:05Jealousy flashed across her face.
00:41:07She tried to lunge at me, only to be kicked back down by a high-ranking guard behind her.
00:41:18I was still too weak to respond.
00:41:21Even walking here had taken everything out of me.
00:41:25I could barely breathe, let alone waste energy on her hysteria.
00:41:29Lucian, on the other hand, seemed almost pleased.
00:41:34There was something dark in him.
00:41:37Something that thrived on this kind of moment.
00:41:40The faint curve of his lips carried a chilling edge.
00:41:46Serafina, these rumen hurt you.
00:41:49What would you like done with them?
00:41:50I'll leave the decision to you.
00:41:52Me?
00:41:53I looked at him, stunned.
00:41:55He ruled this place.
00:41:57Life and death were his to command.
00:41:59Why ask me?
00:42:01For a fleeting second, it felt like the past.
00:42:04Back when we had lived in the human world, he had always been like this.
00:42:08Gentle, respectful, asking for my opinion on everything.
00:42:14No matter how small, a sharp, unnameable ache spread through my chest.
00:42:19I shook my head.
00:42:21Do whatever you want.
00:42:23Just follow the rules of hell.
00:42:27He frowned, clearly displeased with my answer.
00:42:31Without warning, he pulled me into his arms, locking me against him with one arm around my shoulders.
00:42:37What's wrong?
00:42:38Feeling soft now?
00:42:40Have you forgotten what happened to you just hours ago?
00:42:42How they killed you?
00:42:43How they nailed you to that rack?
00:42:49They've already confessed.
00:42:51Even your trust fund has been transferred.
00:42:54This is your chance to get even.
00:42:56Don't act like a coward.
00:42:58Seeing the closeness between us, something twisted in Vanessa's expression.
00:43:03Jealousy spilled over into pure madness.
00:43:06I knew it!
00:43:07I always knew you were that kind of woman.
00:43:09Clinging to men with money and power using that face of yours to get whatever you want.
00:43:14And now look at you.
00:43:15Dead and still doing the same thing.
00:43:18Even seducing someone here.
00:43:20You're disgusting!
00:43:22The temperature in the room dropped instantly.
00:43:25Lucian's expression darkened to something terrifying.
00:43:29His face was flawless, almost unreal.
00:43:32But the sheer violence in his gaze made it impossible to look at him directly.
00:43:38I knew exactly why.
00:43:40It was not just the insult.
00:43:43Vanessa had crossed a line.
00:43:45Lucian.
00:43:46She implied I belonged to someone else.
00:43:49Lucian had always been possessive.
00:43:52Obsessively so.
00:43:53In his mind, once I had been his, that was permanent.
00:43:58Time did not matter.
00:44:00Life or death did not matter.
00:44:02I was his.
00:44:04No one else was allowed to touch me.
00:44:07Not even look at me.
00:44:09Fortunately, during the long century I spent back in the human world, I had lived cautiously.
00:44:14I stayed single, avoided relationships, avoided attention.
00:44:19If I had not, I did not even want to imagine what would happen right now.
00:44:24The sorcerer, realizing Vanessa was pushing them both toward destruction, panicked completely.
00:44:30He slammed his head against the floor again and again.
00:44:33Your Majesty, please, show mercy.
00:44:35I was blinded by greed.
00:44:37She offered a fortune.
00:44:38I lost my judgment.
00:44:40I should never have interfered with fate or taken a life.
00:44:43I was wrong.
00:44:43She manipulated me.
00:44:45This was all her idea.
00:44:47Vanessa snapped.
00:44:49Like a feral cat, she lunged and slapped him hard across the face.
00:44:53Shut up!
00:44:53You took the money willingly, drew the circle, and now you want to pin everything on me?
00:44:59Not happening!
00:45:02Sebastian strode forward.
00:45:03Silence.
00:45:04His voice cutting through the chaos like a blade.
00:45:06The room fell still.
00:45:08You dare raise your voices here?
00:45:10His gaze swept over them coldly.
00:45:12Every one of you is guilty.
00:45:14None of you will escape.
00:45:15He paused.
00:45:16Then his tone turned even sharper.
00:45:18Do you even understand who it is you tried to harm?
00:45:23Vanessa's bloodshot eyes snapped toward me.
00:45:26Even now, she refused to back down, letting out a cold, stubborn laugh.
00:45:33She's just some freak who doesn't age or die.
00:45:36She's lived long enough, had more than enough.
00:45:39I took her life and her trust fund.
00:45:42So what?
00:45:44That's what I deserve!
00:45:47I spent ten years serving her like a slave.
00:45:51I had been too exhausted to argue before.
00:45:54People like her, cold and self-centered, never see kindness.
00:45:59They only see what they think the world owes them.
00:46:02But hearing her twist everything so shamelessly still made something in me snap.
00:46:08Vanessa, I said, my voice low but shaking with anger.
00:46:12Ask yourself this.
00:46:15If you hadn't met me in that snowstorm,
00:46:19would you have had those ten years at all?
00:46:21You would have frozen to death on the street!
00:46:24And if I remember correctly, you were the one begging me to take you in.
00:46:28You said if you didn't make money,
00:46:30your father would force you back home to marry that drunk who beat his wife.
00:46:34A life trapped in poverty.
00:46:36In violence.
00:46:38Raising a crying child in some run-down trailer park until it broke you.
00:46:43That was your future.
00:46:45Her face flushed as I exposed everything in front of everyone.
00:46:49For a moment, she faltered.
00:46:51Then, just as quickly, she doubled down.
00:46:56So what?
00:46:57You gave me a job.
00:46:59Paid me.
00:47:00I worked for it.
00:47:01I gave you my youth.
00:47:03I let out a short, disbelieving laugh.
00:47:05My voice trembling.
00:47:07Worked for it?
00:47:10You mean sending your cheap clothes to high-end dry cleaners on my account?
00:47:15Ordering from five-star restaurants every day and charging it to me?
00:47:21Or taking my Porsche out to clubs under my name, trying to hook rich men?
00:47:26You were never grateful.
00:47:29People like you don't know how to be.
00:47:31You belong at the bottom, rotting there.
00:47:34The moment someone shows you kindness, you think you're entitled to everything.
00:47:38You think you can replace them?
00:47:40Vanessa opened her mouth to scream back, but Sebastian had had enough.
00:47:45His voice cracked through the hall like thunder.
00:47:48Enough!
00:47:52He stepped forward, his expression cold and severe.
00:47:57You blind, arrogant fool.
00:47:59Do you even know who she is?
00:48:02His voice rose, sharp and unforgiving.
00:48:04She is the ninth consort queen personally taken by Ajesty, the Underlord.
00:48:09And you dared to scheme against her.
00:48:12You think someone like you can touch her?
00:48:15Vanessa froze.
00:48:17Her expression locked in place, as if her mind had simply stopped working.
00:48:24All this time, she had only seen the surface.
00:48:27My immortality.
00:48:29My wealth.
00:48:31To her, I was just a lucky anomaly.
00:48:33She had never imagined what stood behind it.
00:48:37Harris looked even worse.
00:48:39His face was drained of all life, his eyes unfocused.
00:48:43Back then, he had recognized me.
00:48:46He must have assumed that after centuries, Lucien and I had nothing to do with each other anymore.
00:48:52That I was no longer under his protection.
00:48:55So he took the risk.
00:48:57For money.
00:48:59Now, with my identity revealed, there was no escaping the consequences.
00:49:03I turned slightly and noticed Cole standing quietly in the shadows.
00:49:08He had not said a word.
00:49:10His expression was grim, weighed down with frustration.
00:49:14Out of everyone here, he was the only one who had done nothing wrong.
00:49:18He had carried out his duties faithfully, only to be dragged into this mess by corrupt subordinates.
00:49:24He had almost discovered me that day.
00:49:28Almost.
00:49:29The two guards and the sorcerer, upon hearing the words consort queen, collapsed.
00:49:34Completely.
00:49:35They did not even have the strength to beg.
00:49:38As for me, I felt nothing.
00:49:41No pride.
00:49:42No satisfaction.
00:49:44Just emptiness.
00:49:45I was nothing more than one of many in Lucien's long life.
00:49:48Just another woman who had passed through it.
00:49:52There was nothing to be proud of.
00:49:56And I knew better than to underestimate him.
00:49:59This was not just about avenging me.
00:50:02This was about maintaining the authority of the underworld.
00:50:05The ones who had harmed me were dragged away.
00:50:08Into the deepest parts of hell.
00:50:11They would suffer everything I had suffered.
00:50:14A hundred times over.
00:50:16Cole was punished as well.
00:50:18For negligence.
00:50:19For failing to notice what was happening under his watch.
00:50:23Lucien ordered him to the river Styx for a year of the harshest labor.
00:50:27As for me, the victim.
00:50:30Lucien took me back to the first circle of hell.
00:50:33And made me watch.
00:50:34The winds howled through the first circle.
00:50:37Vanessa was bound to the execution platform.
00:50:40Her limbs stretched out.
00:50:42Chained in.
00:50:42Place.
00:50:43Under the control of demonic executioners.
00:50:46Thousands of red hot soul piercing.
00:50:49Spikes drove slowly into her body.
00:50:51One by one.
00:50:53From every angle.
00:50:55She was turned into a screaming, writhing pincushion.
00:50:58The executioners were precise.
00:51:01Cruel.
00:51:02But controlled.
00:51:03They avoided her soul core.
00:51:05They wanted her alive.
00:51:07Alive enough to feel everything.
00:51:09So she would not die.
00:51:12Only suffer.
00:51:13Endlessly.
00:51:14At last, fear broke through her madness.
00:51:19Her face was soaked with tears and mucus.
00:51:21Her voice whores as she cried out to me.
00:51:23Serafina.
00:51:24Serafina.
00:51:25I was wrong.
00:51:26I know I was wrong.
00:51:28I lost my mind.
00:51:30I shouldn't have done that to you.
00:51:33Please.
00:51:34Make him stop.
00:51:36I'm the worst.
00:51:37I'm not even human.
00:51:39I was jealous of you.
00:51:41Your looks.
00:51:42Your youth.
00:51:43Your life in Manhattan.
00:51:45All that money you could never spend.
00:51:47And me.
00:51:48Always depending on you.
00:51:51I didn't want to become a murderer.
00:51:53It was you.
00:51:55You told me your secret when you were drunk.
00:51:59Do you know how tempting immortality and welfare...
00:52:02No one could resist that.
00:52:05Not just me.
00:52:06Anyone would have done the same.
00:52:08You can't blame me for everything.
00:52:11Even now, she was still shifting the blame.
00:52:15I told you because I trusted you.
00:52:18Because I believed you were my friend.
00:52:20In all these centuries, I've seen how cruel people can be.
00:52:25I never told anyone else.
00:52:28You made your choice.
00:52:30My voice was calm.
00:52:31But heavy with disappointment.
00:52:34Her words caught in her throat.
00:52:36For the first time, she fell silent.
00:52:40Maybe, in the middle of all that pain, she finally understood.
00:52:48What she had thrown away.
00:52:51What she had destroyed.
00:52:53She had betrayed kindness.
00:52:55Betrayed trust.
00:52:56For greed that had no bottom.
00:52:59And now, this was the price.
00:53:01She deserved it.
00:53:03She took a life.
00:53:04Betrayed someone who saved her.
00:53:07She deserved help.
00:53:09And worse, she had conspired with dark sorcery to steal my lifespan.
00:53:13Defying the natural order itself.
00:53:16That made her crimes even greater.
00:53:18I watched as her body convulsed on the platform.
00:53:22And I knew.
00:53:23She would never leave this place.
00:53:25Not in this life.
00:53:27Not ever.
00:53:28What surprised me.
00:53:30Was how fragile a wicked soul could be.
00:53:33Vanessa did not even make it through a full round of punishment.
00:53:36Her soul was far too fragile.
00:53:39It collapsed completely before the first cycle was finished.
00:53:43In the end, she was.
00:53:45Dragged into the second circle of hell.
00:53:48Where the hellfire that burns away all sin.
00:53:50Reduced her to nothing but ash.
00:53:53Not even reincarnation remained for her.
00:53:56Among all of them, the one who lasted the longest was the sorcerer.
00:54:00He truly had some skill.
00:54:03His soul was unusually solid.
00:54:05Otherwise, he never could have.
00:54:07Activated that forbidden demonic pact circle and nearly transferred my life to.
00:54:12Vanessa.
00:54:14He endured layer after layer of torment.
00:54:17In the end, he met his fate in the sixth circle of hell.
00:54:21The abyss of demons.
00:54:23There was no light there.
00:54:24Only endless darkness and hunger.
00:54:27Ancient demons that had been trapped for countless centuries lurked in that abyss.
00:54:32In the end, it was vicious and insatiable.
00:54:36The moment a soul with even a trace of energy entered its way.
00:54:40They'd swarm it instantly, tearing it apart and devouring it piece by piece.
00:54:44As for Paris and the corrupt guards, they were stripped of their ranks and cast into.
00:54:49The boiling tar pit of the fourth circle.
00:54:52They struggled and sank, over and over.
00:54:55Their bodies exploding under the scorching.
00:54:58Car burned inside and out.
00:55:00None of them would ever return.
00:55:03When it was all over, Lucien turned to look at me.
00:55:07Under the dim, flickering glow of hellfire, his gaze burned with something.
00:55:12Complicated.
00:55:14You really are fearless.
00:55:17After seeing all this, you're not afraid at all.
00:55:20No wonder you walked away back then without hesitating.
00:55:23Even after everything I said.
00:55:25Hearing him bring up the past made my chest tighten.
00:55:28I lowered my head.
00:55:30My hair falling forward to hide my face.
00:55:33I did not want him to see what I had become.
00:55:36He knew better than anyone how much I cared about my appearance.
00:55:40Back in the human world, I had always been meticulous.
00:55:44Elegant.
00:55:45The center of.
00:55:47Attention wherever I went.
00:55:49That was why so many men had been drawn to me.
00:55:52Just like Vanessa said.
00:55:54That I attracted them all.
00:55:56But I never did it for them.
00:55:58I did it for myself.
00:56:00To make the long, endless years a little more bearable.
00:56:07What's the point of bringing that up now?
00:56:09Forcing my tone steady.
00:56:17The people who betrayed me are gone.
00:56:19So now what?
00:56:21Is it my turn?
00:56:23Something in my words struck him.
00:56:26Hard.
00:56:26His expression darkened instantly.
00:56:29With a cold snort, he turned and left without.
00:56:32Another word.
00:56:34His back rigid with anger.
00:56:36I stood there, confused.
00:56:39Wasn't he the one who had sworn to throw me into the lake of fire?
00:56:44Now I asked?
00:56:46And he got angry?
00:56:47After he left, Sebastian did not follow immediately.
00:56:51He paused, turned back to me, and let out a long, helpless sigh.
00:56:59My queen, do you truly not understand his majesty's feelings, or are you pretending not to just to provoke him?
00:57:06I looked up, puzzled.
00:57:10Understand what?
00:57:12Doesn't he want me dead?
00:57:14Sebastian sighed again, as if the answer were painfully obvious.
00:57:19His majesty has never let you go.
00:57:21Not once.
00:57:23He may seem cold, but he has always kept you in his heart.
00:57:27He could not bear the thought of you suffering through another mortal life.
00:57:31He could not bear to see you struggle in poverty again.
00:57:36That is why he gave you everything.
00:57:38These past years in the human world, you lived well, didn't you?
00:57:43I froze.
00:57:45And do you know, Sebastian continued, how he spent those same years without you?
00:57:50My heart skipped.
00:57:54He dismissed every consort in the palace after you left.
00:57:58Not one remained.
00:58:00And whenever he had time, he would go to the human world in secret, just to watch you.
00:58:07He is too proud to admit his feelings.
00:58:10And you?
00:58:12You never looked back.
00:58:14Not once in all these centuries.
00:58:17He paused.
00:58:18Then his voice grew heavier.
00:58:21Do you understand what it means to erase a name from the ledger of souls?
00:58:25It violates the very laws of existence.
00:58:29The backlash alone is enough to bring divine punishment.
00:58:33And your endless lifespan.
00:58:35It did not come from nowhere.
00:58:39He used the power of his divine core of death to sustain it.
00:58:43Each word hit me like a blow.
00:58:45I stood frozen, unable to move, my thoughts spiraling.
00:58:50All this time, what I thought was punishment, was protection, sacrifice?
00:58:56Before I could process it, Lucien's voice cut through the distance.
00:59:02Sebastian.
00:59:03Sharp.
00:59:04Irritated.
00:59:05Who do you serve?
00:59:06Get over here.
00:59:08Sebastian gave me a quick bow, said nothing more, and hurried after him.
00:59:13I was left alone.
00:59:15I wandered slowly along the shadow path.
00:59:18The air cold and filled with drifting spirits.
00:59:21But my mind was anything but calm.
00:59:29For the first time, I truly thought about what came next.
00:59:33Lucien was not going to kill me.
00:59:36That much was clear.
00:59:37But my body in the human world had already been destroyed from that fall.
00:59:43There was no going back.
00:59:45That left only two possibilities.
00:59:48Remain here as a soul.
00:59:50Or, reincarnation.
00:59:53But could I even be reborn?
00:59:55I was someone whose name had been erased from the ledger of souls.
00:59:59A being, outside the system itself.
01:00:03And then there was something else.
01:00:05Something I had not allowed myself to think about.
01:00:08After centuries apart, could what we had ever be restored?
01:00:13Back then, in that lifetime, we had been happy.
01:00:17Truly.
01:00:18But memories fade.
01:00:20Time changes everything.
01:00:23For hundreds of years, I had lived alone.
01:00:26Yes, the curse, or blessing, of immortality had made me think of him often.
01:00:31But was that love still there?
01:00:34That same intensity?
01:00:36I did not know.
01:00:37My thoughts were a mess.
01:00:39I had no answers.
01:00:41I walked without direction until exhaustion caught up with me.
01:00:45Eventually, I found a quiet corner and sat down against a cold stone.
01:00:50Staring into nothing.
01:00:52Then suddenly, a piece of black fabric edged with dark gold patterns appeared in front of me.
01:00:58I looked up.
01:01:00Lucian had come back.
01:01:04I looked up at him.
01:01:06He still stood there.
01:01:08Tall and commanding as ever.
01:01:09But the cold arrogance I was used to was gone, replaced by something awkward.
01:01:16Almost like a wronged golden retriever, stubbornly refusing to admit it was hurt.
01:01:23What are you doing out here alone?
01:01:25He asked first.
01:01:26There was a hint of tension in his voice.
01:01:30Thinking about how to leave me again?
01:01:32I froze.
01:01:33I had never seen him like this.
01:01:36Like I was the heartless one who had abandoned.
01:01:39Something that loved me completely.
01:01:42I took a slow breath, forcing myself to look away from his eyes.
01:01:46If I wanted to leave?
01:01:48I asked calmly.
01:01:49Could I be reborn?
01:01:50My name was no longer in the ledger of souls.
01:01:54I was an exception.
01:01:56No.
01:01:57His answer came without hesitation.
01:01:59Anyone not in the ledger, does not enter the cycle.
01:02:03You cannot be reborn.
01:02:04I had expected that.
01:02:06If I could not return to the human world, and I could not reincarnate, then there was.
01:02:12Only one path left.
01:02:14Stay here.
01:02:15In the underworld.
01:02:17Seeing me fall silent, Lucien seemed to misunderstand.
01:02:21His eyes reddened slightly.
01:02:23His voice rising despite himself.
01:02:25You don't have any other choice.
01:02:28Even knowing that you still won't choose me?
01:02:31You'd rather wander as a lost spirit than stay by my side?
01:02:35Something in me softened at the sight of him like this.
01:02:38I opened my mouth, wanting to explain.
01:02:42But no words came.
01:02:46My hesitation only made things worse.
01:02:50He turned sharply, clearly furious, striding away in long steps.
01:02:54But even then, he stopped just long enough to throw one last warning over his shoulder.
01:03:01You do have another option.
01:03:03Stay here as a stray soul.
01:03:05Just hope no guard mistakes you for an escaped demon and throws you into the abyss.
01:03:11And don't expect me to save you.
01:03:14His threat was so childish that I could not help it.
01:03:18I laughed.
01:03:19Quickly getting to my feet, I hurried after him and grabbed his sleeve.
01:03:23He stiffened.
01:03:25But he did not pull away.
01:03:27I'm scared.
01:03:28I said softly, tugging at him just a little.
01:03:32That part was not entirely true.
01:03:35That night, in the Obsidian Palace, he did not let me go.
01:03:39Centuries of longing and restraint finally broke loose.
01:03:43Lucian was like a starving wolf.
01:03:45Once he had me in his grasp, he refused to let go.
01:03:49My soul had not fully recovered.
01:03:52I could barely endure the intensity of him.
01:03:55More than.
01:03:57Once, in the overwhelming rush of sensation, I felt like I might shatter completely.
01:04:02Every time I tried to push him away, he had an answer ready.
01:04:07You are the consort queen.
01:04:09I have only you now.
01:04:13If you don't give me an heir soon, who is going to take over the underworld?
01:04:18I huffed in protest, half breathless.
01:04:21I don't like it here.
01:04:23It's dark all the time.
01:04:26Cold.
01:04:27Empty.
01:04:28The human world is better.
01:04:30He pressed a kiss to my ear, his voice low and coaxing.
01:04:34Fine.
01:04:35Once we have an heir, I'll hand over the power.
01:04:39I'll go with you, wherever you want.
01:04:42His promise stirred something in me.
01:04:45Memories of the life we once had.
01:04:47I wrapped my arms around his neck.
01:04:50Can we go back?
01:04:52I asked quietly.
01:04:53Live like we did before?
01:04:55Just normal people?
01:04:58Only then could I feel something real.
01:05:01Not the distance between ruler and subject.
01:05:04Just him.
01:05:05Just me.
01:05:06In the heat of the moment, he bit lightly at my neck, leaving his mark, his voice firm.
01:05:13Anything you want.
01:05:14I cupped his face, looking into those dark, intoxicating eyes, teasing him just a little.
01:05:20Didn't you say my name was erased?
01:05:22That I could never be reborn?
01:05:25He paused.
01:05:27Just for a second.
01:05:29Then his gaze flickered away.
01:05:31Caught.
01:05:32The next moment, he pulled me closer, more forceful this time, silencing me in his own way.
01:05:40After that, I stopped thinking, letting everything fade into the dark.
01:05:48Time passed.
01:05:49We spent years in the underworld.
01:05:52Long, quiet, unexpectedly warm.
01:05:55We even had children.
01:05:58Mischievous little ones who inherited his divine core of death.
01:06:01And in the end, he kept his promise.
01:06:04We returned.
01:06:06Back to the human world.
01:06:08Lucian used his power to create a new identity.
01:06:11He became the boy, next door.
01:06:14The one who had grown up with me under the California sun.
01:06:18We fell in love again.
01:06:20Got married.
01:06:21Bought a house by the ocean, with a garden full of flowers.
01:06:25We sat together on the porch swing, watching the sunset paint the sky in endless colors.
01:06:31One evening, as the light faded, he held my hand and told me quietly that during those
01:06:37centuries apart, he had watched countless sunsets like this.
01:06:42With me, even when I did not know he was there, a breeze passed through.
01:06:47I leaned against his shoulder.
01:06:50We looked at each other and smiled.
01:06:52This time, we would never be apart again.
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